In his biting and humorous short story collection Gathered Here Together, Garrett Socol marries the tragic with the comedic by twisting his characters, who all happen to be in the midst of their respective catastrophes, into off-kilter spotlights that often double as funhouse mirrors. There’s a wonderfully warped yet entirely honest portrayal of the human condition on display here, and Socol is a fine craftsman who knows how to play on the emotions of his readers. Whether pitting funeral mourner More...

Socol definitely has a handle on bizarre characters and situations. Some of the stories are more normal, some of which are very moving, but some are brilliantly bizarre. I enjoyed every story in this collection, but a few absolutely took my breath away.